SchoolArts - December 2011

and materials, color
palette, meaning,
in their sketchbooks? Are they show-
casing ideas that are relevant to their
own artwork?

Talk to Each Other

Any great student project
is facilitated with great
discussion between stu-
dent and teacher. In our
digital society, there are
so many alternative ways
to do this if class time
does not allow it. Con-
sider student blogs, social
networks, or even instant
chats. As your students
work through their art
pieces, consider creating
student discussion groups
to provide feedback on the
project in process, as well
as in its finished stage.
Thumbnails should be
one of the most important
components of your art unit.
Remember, students will only
take thumbnails as seriously as you
do. All teachers give a test grade for
projects and exams, but what about
thumbnails? Are they worthy of a
large portion of a student’s overall
grade? If you consider great ideas
pertinent to your program, remember
to not only require thumbnails, but
also encourage excitement in new and
innovative ideas!

Ideas on Paper

Once your students have a great
understanding of their ideas, they
must put them on paper. Thumbnails
are the only oppor-
tunity you have to
know what is going
on in their heads.
When asking a
student to develop
a thumbnail, it is
imperative that he
or she understands that, just as an
architect makes a draft, an artist must
visually elaborate on his or her idea
for you to understand the concept.

Nicole D. Brisco is an art teacher at Pleasant Grove High School in Texarkana, Texas. nbrisco@pgisd.net

It’s All in the Details

Students must submit objective infor-
mation in their
thumbnails. Any-
time you assign an
open-ended assign-
ment or concept, it
is crucial that you
be aware of all of
the details. Con-
sider asking students for some of the
following: dimensions (height, width,
and depth), surface, variety of media
If we look deeply at how
students create art, it is
their beginning ideas and
concepts that gauge the
success of a work of art.

NATIONAL STANDARD Students initiate, define, and solve challenging visual arts problems independently using intellectual skills such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.